Wyatt Earp Blvd.

Down here in Dodge City, Kansas where the wild west really does meet Texmex. What's happened over the last few days? Did I mention how much I hate the wind? It's been only two weeks but feels like two months. I'd like to dedicate this portion of my trip to Darrel and Marianne Heeren of Hastings, Nebraska who saved me when I broke a spoke on the bike and realized I had brought a wrench that was too small to take the wheel off. Luckily, it was just in front of these fine folks farmhouse, and Darrel had all the tools I needed. Even invited me in for some grilled cheese sandwiches and soup for lunch. gotta luv it. Crossed into Kansas and found out quickly why nobody lives there. There is nothing there. Except for cows and wind. And more wind. If it was summer I'd be scared to be down here. One second there's 40mph wind coming from the south, the next second its coming from the north. Kansas is quite an eerie place. Wind howling, cows mooing, people asking me if I may be a 'crop duster'. I pretended to know what a crop duster was when the guy asked me but I don't think I fooled him. Spent a couple nights at a state park with over 1,000 spots...and I was the only one there. It's strange being at a park all alone with only 1,000 picnic tables and a six-pack of Bud. Spent a night at the EXACT center of the USofA. I didn't feel any safer though. Especially from the wind. Almost hitched a ride one day cause I was going a whole 3mph into a head-on southerly wind for 9 hours. But decided to just camp it and wait it out. Wouldn't ya know it, the next day it was coming from the north so it was smooth sailing into Dodge City. Kansas is living up to its image of....nothing. It's freaky down here. I had a guy the other day tell me he's been seeing me all over western Kansas.?? So my question is...why is this guy driving all over western Kansas? Or is he following me? And the cows. They just don't stop staring. They act as if they've never seen a guy riding his bike to Panama before. But, anyway, it's just been a lot of wind and fields and fields of nothing for the last few days. It is cool though riding before sunrise down long stretches of nothing into longer stretches of nothing. But I'm ready to get out of this state before the Wicked Witch of the East finds me. Legs are very sore but gotta push on if I'm to meet Chad by the 20th. Later....